Holiday parks around Australia are splashing out with bigger and better water playgrounds. Here are the best of the best for this summer.
More than a million dollars has been invested in the construction of a new 500-square-metre water park at this Moama holiday park. Each of the colourful features has been designed to look like a paddle steamer, well-known to the Murray River area. Travellers set sail on the PS James Maiden, where they can fly down three different slides, get soaked by a massive tipping bucket or dance through numerous spray zones. Perfect for families with children ages zero to 12, the water wonderland continues to thrill little tadpoles.
Maidens Inn also has a swimming pool, tennis court, playground, barbecue facility, boat ramp and kiosk. If you can drag your kids away from all the water play, it’s also worth exploring the historic port of nearby Echuca, finding some treasures at the local markets or trying one of the stylish eateries in town. And if dad wants a mini escape, he can cruise over to the National Holden Motor Museum, the largest car museum of its kind in Australia.
The 500-square-metre Barrel Waterpark is the highlight of a $3 million makeover at Discovery Parks – Byron Bay. Among Australia’s biggest, this splashtacular water park boasts some serious drawcards: a giant tipping bucket, water slides, a pool area, a range of fountains, water spouts and a jumping pillow. A nearby lagoon pool is perfect for little ones just learning to swim and the sunny Byron Bay weather creates the ideal setting for a summer barbie.
Exploring the local town keeps you entertained with a raft of backpackers, surfers, hippies, artists and Gap Year corporates congregating at stylish cafes and shimmering beaches. Escape to the scenic hinterland or hit the surf where kids can have a splash and build giant sandcastles. Eateries offer trendy outdoor zones where youngsters are encouraged to have tasty babyccinos and appreciate the colour of the waiter’s latest tattoo. The vibe continues at the holiday park, which is just two kilometres from the Byron Bay town centre.
Ahoy matey! Monty’s Island Oasis, an all-season indoor splash park located at this Narooma hotspot, has been an aquatic hit since it opened in 2018. Every feature of the H.M.S Waterplay has a nautical theme, from the 30-gallon tipping bucket and 1.8-metre-wide slide to the numerous splash canons with 360-degree mobility. A $15 entry fee gives you access to every soak-filled feature, including a seven-by-seven-metre Spa Pool for the more seasoned sailors wanting to escape the splash zone for some well-deserved R&R.
Opened in 2018, this $1.6 million investment by Discovery Parks is a welcome addition to the activities already available at their ‘Rocky’ site. With a tennis court, kids’ club, playground and bouncing pillow, the water park is just one of many activities designed to keep even the most energetic littlies busy. Three slides, a dump bucket and a dedicated area for the tiny tots make this water park an essential stopover.
Inspired by the peaks of nearby Wollumbin- Mount Warning, BIG4 Tweed Billabong’s new water park looks like it is exploding from a volcano! The park is divided into three areas, each inspired by a local area: the toddler play section is modelled after Cook Island, while the larger slides glide through Mount Warning and the tipping bucket falls from the top of Fingal Head. This quirky design makes a day spent splashing on the slides akin to mountaineering adventure … well, almost.
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Some resorts just have it all, and Coolwaters is one of those. The colourful mix of thrilling slides and water spouts is an added bonus to a holiday park that already offers a resort-style pool, BMX tracks, kayaking and bushwalking, so expect an action-packed holiday here. The massive splash-happy park includes a child-friendly playground full of interactive water features, two slides and a separate area with two larger slides for older kids.
Boasting 500 metres of absolute beach frontage, Tathra Beachside is just spoiling guests with aquatic adventures with the addition of its Big Splash water park. Located in a lagoon-like pool, the park’s bright neon slides, splash pool and massive tipping bucket promise to soak any and all water babies on site. Open year-round, day visitors pay $10 to access the site’s three slides, while kids under two years enter for free.
At this Cairns favourite, little snorkellers can spend every day exploring the Great Barrier Reef! The popular Splash Waterpark is home to an array of slides and water spouts decorated with vibrant murals, bringing the corals and colours of the reef straight to your doorstep. The nearby Sun Lagoon Pool includes even more slides to splash your way through and on-site offerings include Australia’s first entirely interactive playground, an 18-hole mini-golf course and beach volleyball.
BIG4’s site on the Whitsundays has been a long-time favourite with Australian families and it’s not hard to see why. Its water park, made up of tipping buckets, fountains, jets and 13 colourful water slides, is the cherry on top of an already amazing holiday park. Roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool, kids – and kids at heart – can choose from a colour-coded range of giant or mini slides that cascade from a two-metre platform.
With such an awesome pool complex, it’ll be difficult to pry the kids away from this holiday park for off-site activities. Boasting a 35-metre water slide running directly into the park’s pool, little ones will be in H20 heaven here. If you do manage to drag the kids away, you’re just a hop, skip and a jump from the mother of all water parks: Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast. Stay in or head out: the choice is yours, but either way your little mermaids and mermen are guaranteed a splashing good time.
With five kilometres of pristine white sand, Middleton Beach is a perfect escape. Just imagine those sleep-ins, watching the sun set into the ocean, long brunches that turn into dinner… hang on, what about the kids? Luckily, there’s plenty of things to keep them entertained. Safe swimming for littlies, surf sessions for tweens, kite surfing for teens, and hours of fishing from the jetty for parents are just some of the beach options. Whale-watching is a don’t-miss experience, while across the horizon are two pictureperfect granite islands, Michaelmas and Breaksea. Positioned on King George Sound, the resort-style BIG4 Middleton Beach Holiday Park boasts a 500-metre-long beach frontage. Picnic and barbecue facilities, as well as playground equipment, makes the park a real family stay.
Once a sleepy village on the Fleurieu Peninsula, Port Elliot Holiday Park now offers a perfect package for families. The area’s natural beauty merges with action-packed fun with a selection of bushwalks, the Encounter Coast bike path, blissful beaches and, at the park itself, an adventure playground with a giant jumping pillow and spinning pod. The park is located on the beachfront of Horseshoe Bay, creating an idyllic place to kick back and relax. For a little more action, visit the historic Cockle Train and explore the open-range Urimbirra Wildlife Park. An unforgettable experience is staying up late to see the loveable fairy penguins as they do their nightly march on Granite Island.
Kendalls, in the popular tourist town of Kiama, is bound to impress. Watch the waves roll in from the balcony of your villa or grab a morning coffee and check the surf as the sun rises over the horizon. When the children need a break from the beach, drop them off at the park’s kids’ club, which runs during NSW Christmas school holidays. Aside from the top-spot location, Kendalls is also a great choice for the entire family, and we’re talking about your pets, too. Dogs are welcome on any of the powered and unpowered sites outside of school holidays and long weekends. Although you’ll have to kep your fourlegged friends off the beach, there are other stretches of sand in Kiama where you can let them run free.
This article originally appeared in Caravan & Camping with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.
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